Château Beau-Séjour Bécot, 2000 -- with a tip of the cap to Ermitaño
Sep 17 '04
The Bottom Line The 2000 is good... but consider a stab at the 1998 Château Beau-Séjour Bécot... you still may be able to find some bargains.
I thank ermitano for this wine recommendation. I forget the time and occasion when the suggestion was made--perhaps a year or more ago--but I scribbled down a note to look for this wine and, thankfully, found it easy to locate at one of my favorite wine shops: the Wine Exchange (www.winex.com) in Orange, California.
The first time I tried this wine was in March of this year. Now, nine months later, I revisit that taste experience by opening a fresh bottle. It would, perhaps, be best to cellar this particular wine for a few more years. I will admit, however, that having tried a number of California Bordeaux blends in recent months (St. Supéry Meritage, Beringer Alluvium, Mondavi Opus One), my mind keeps turning back to this particular wine and so I have been tempted to yank the cork and explore some more.
Château Beau-Séjour Bécot, 2000
Premier Grand Cru Classé, Saint-Emilion
------------------------------------------------------------
Alcohol: About 13% ABV.
Production: A blend of Merlot (70%), Cabernet Franc (24%), and Cabernet Sauvignon (6%), all hand harvested. Aged in new oak casks (French... but of course). The 2000 harvest is being regarded by many as a particularly great one for Bordeaux--perhaps the best in the past 40 years. Technical notes regarding this wine's production are available at the winery's website. (See link, at bottom.)
Appearance: Dark, inky black-red center that extends out all the way through to a deep ruby red color at the edges; fully extracted with a darkness that suggests that a challenge lies in store. 4/5
Aroma: Impressive, organically rich nose featuring toasted black cherry, blackberry, herb and earth. Hints of tar and dry bark together with pressed violet petals. 18/20
Flavor/Body: Thankfully, not as grippy as I expected. I really anticipated something quite tannic and even, perhaps, full of charcoal (judging from the dark color in the glass). The wine does express some smoky and phenolic tones, but given 45 minutes of breathing time, this wine put forth some pleasant cherry and plum fruit flavors with surprisingly velvety tannins. The wine was medium-to-full bodied with lingering toasted oak flavors with a trace of pencil lead. 36/40
Finish: Smooth texture with long, complex finish of dark, toasted fruit with a light spicy accent that is complemented by dry, rooty herbs and showing a long taste of wood bark. This merlot blend should be allowed a fair amount of breathing time. You definitely should consider decanting the bottle first. 9/10
Overall: 23/25.
My score: 90. 4¼ stars. Excellent. A solid effort and I would consider purchasing more if price wasn't a factor. This wine is a tad bit pricey for what you get, and I find that my personal tastes lean toward something that offers more (and brighter) fruit. I think that I'd like this wine more if it had a touch of brighter, sweeter flavor to it--maybe if it had a little more Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend and less Cabernet Franc. This... may have made a difference for me, especially since my wines of choice over the past few months really have leaned towards Cabs and Zinfandels.
Price: This wine carries a suggested retail price of $60, although I have seen higher prices at some online retailers. I purchased two bottles at The Wine Exchange (http://www.winex.com) for about $65/bottle, including sales tax.
Recommendation: The winemaker, Gérard Bécot, suggests that the wine is ready for consumption in the next year or two (2005-2006), but states that this wine will keep for 30 years and may be at its optimal flavor sometime in the next 6-to-11 years. (He, or so it appears, left a personal tasting note in Wine Spectator's review database.) Château Beau-Séjour Bécot did not produce any second-label wines in 2000--the harvest being so great that all fruit harvested went right into this wine.
Rated by Wine Spectator magazine with a score of 89 (rating date: March 2003). Senior editor James Suckling wrote: "Slightly herbal, with berry and tobacco character. Full-bodied, chewy and rich, with a velvety and medium fruity finish. Very extracted. A bit too much for me, but very good. Best after 2007."
Rated by Wine Enthusiast magazine with a score of 92 (rating date: June 2003). Editor Roger Voss (who lives in Bordeaux) wrote: "...a stylish, modern wine that powers black, sweet fruits through the deceptively soft tannins. Tarry flavors and layers of new wood give the wine a new world character. How long it will last is open to question at this stage. It is certainly developing quickly."
Other wines, costing a little less, that I have either tried or are on my interest/buy list include:
Château Beau-Séjour Bécot, 1998 -- because, just yesterday, I received an email notice from The Wine Exchange that the highly regarded 1998 vintage of this wine (Wine Spectator rated 92) will be on sale for $49.99 per bottle (discounted a full $10--in celebration of the store's 22nd anniversary).
Clos du Marquis St.-Julien, 2000 (Wine Spectator rated 94, price about $30/bottle).
Château Langoa Barton St.-Julien, 2000 (Wine Spectator rated 94, price about $50/bottle). This wine, I believe, will be more to my liking: produced using 72 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 10 percent Merlot and 8 percent Cabernet Franc, and aged 20 months in oak (half new).
Château LaGrange St.-Julien, 2000 (Wine Spectator rated 93, price about $35/bottle). Cabernet Sauvignon (76%) and Merlot (24%) blend.
Beringer Alluvium Red Knights Valley, 1999 (Wine Spectator rated 90, price about $30/bottle). 76% percent Merlot with 20% percent Cabernet Sauvignon. I've tried this one and I rate this one a "90" as well. Pronounced black currant and raspberry aroma with spicy oak notes. Tannins are fairly pronounced but not gritty or grippy, with pleasant dark plum and currant flavors. I liked this wine and would recommend it as the California alternative to try... the price is right, and I have been able to find good deals on this particular wine at my local Costco.
- / -
Château Beau-Séjour Bécot produces about 90,000 bottles of wine per year. Details about the vineyards and recent vintages can be found at the winery's website:
http://www.beausejour-becot.com
Thank you, Noel!
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
4-1-1
|
 - Top 50 |
|
Member: Tom Carr
Location: Southern California
Reviews written: 1090
Trusted by: 690 members
About Me:
Go U.S.C.!!!
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.